Cloth drive and tensioning apparatus for dyeing machines



y 15, 1934- H. w. BUTTERWORTH, JR 1,959,261

CLOTH DRIVE AND TENSIONING APPARATUS FOR DYEING MACHINES Filed July 3, 1931 6 Sheets-Sheet l Hr1yHa6fera/or I May 15, 1934. 1,959,261

CLOTH DRIVE AND TENSIONING APPARATUS FOR DYEINGYMACHINES H. W. BUTTERWORTH, JR

Filed July 3, 1951 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 [izvezzi'a y 1934- H. w. BUTTERWORTH, JR 1,959,261

CLOTH DRIVE AND TENSIONING APPARATUS FOR DYEING MACHINES Filed July 3, 1951 v 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 5 6.9 fio Bays Maw-2 y 1934- H. w. BUTTERWORTH, JR 59,261

CLOTH DRIVE AND TENSIONING APPARATUS FOR DYEING MACHINES Filed July 5, 1931 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 M "Hill!!!" y 1934- H. w. BUTTERWOR'IH,Y JR 1,959,261

CLOTHDRIVE A'ND TENSION'IN-G APPARATUS FOR manna MACHINES Filed Julyv5, l931 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 y 1934- H. w. BUTTERWORTH, JR ,959,261

CLOTH DRIVE AND TENSIONING APPARATUS FOR DYEING MACHINES Filed July 5. 1931 6 Sheets-Sheet -6 Patented May 15, 1934 UNITED STATES CLOTH DRIVE AND TENSIONING APPA- RATUS FOR DYEING MACHINES Barry W. Butter-worth, Jr., Philadelphia, Pa., as-

signor to H. W. Butter-worth & Sons Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Applicatiol Ju'ly a, 1931, Serial No. 548,681?

11 Claims.

This invention relates to dyeing apparatus, and more particularly to the construction of a single roll jigger for use in dyeing.

In apparatus of this character a single roll is employed which, by co-action with cloth wound upon cloth sticks, causes the cloth to be wound from one to the other of these sticks, the single roll drive insuring constant speed of the cloth when passing through the dyeing vat of the jigger. Material is wound from one to the other of the cloth sticks and upon completion of winding in this direction the direction of operation'of the roll is reversed to rewind it upon the first stick, the cloth in both winding and rewinding operations passing through the dyeing vat and, as heretofore stated, having a constant speed in its passage therethrough. Mechanism is provided for shifting the cloth sticks so that they are alternately operatively engaged with the roll for the winding operation, such mechanisms in machines of this character with which I am familiar being hand controlled.

An important object of this invention is the provision of means for automatically controlling the movement of the sticks for such alternate engagement with the roll.

A further object of the invention is the provision of means for automatically reversing the direction of rotation of the arms when a predetermined cloth yardage has been removed from the stick from which the cloth is being unwound.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a novel and improved clutch mechanism for controlling the shifting of the sticks to such positions.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a construction such that the formation of slack as a result of a shift in the position of the cloth sticks is prevented.

Still another-object of the invention is the construction of an apparatus of this character in such manner that the idle cloth stick, or that from which the cloth is being removed, acts as an automatic tensioning device.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a novel scrimp roll construction for co-action with the sticks together with means for automatically shifting the scrimp rolls into and out of operative engagement with the cloth so that only the scrimp roll co-acting with thestick upon which the cloth is being wound is in use.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of scrimp roll mechanism providing a tension on the cloth and. including means whereby this tension may be regulated.

These and other objects I attain by the construction shown in the accompanying drawings wherein, for the purpose of illustration I have shown a preferred embodiment of my invention and wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a dyeing machine constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is. an end elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view showing one of the scrimp mechanisms;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail sectional view showing the scrimp mechanism control drive;

Fig. dis a section on line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 'l is a fragmentary sectional view through the drive roll illustrating the manner of connecting the same to the drive shaft;

Fig. 8 is an end elevation of the drive roll and the drive collar associated therewith;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged view showing one of the clutches of the control -mechanism for the scrimp and cloth stick units;

Fig. 10 is a similar view showing the other of the clutches;

Fig. 11 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the electrical control mechanism; and

Fig. 12 is a detail view partially in section showing the switch mountings of the cloth-stickoperated switches.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 10 generally designates end frames supporting between them a dyeing vat 11 which may be of any ordinary construction and having in its lower end an immersion roller 12. Supported between the end frames at the upper ends thereof and in suitable bearings 13 is a shaft 14, this shaft projecting at its opposite ends beyond the outer faces of the end. frames and between the end frames rotatably mounting a rubber covered drive roll 15. The drive roll at its ends has hubs 16 embracing the shaft and each provided with a projecting lug 17 for 00- action with a similarly lugged collar 18 secured to the shaft. The lugs 17 and the coacting lugs 19 of the collars constitute a lost motion connection between the shaft and roll 15 being of such dimensions that the roll 15 may have relative rotation with relation to the shaft through approximately 2'70 degrees whenever the direction of rotation of the shaft is reversed for a purpose hereinafter to appear. Rotatably surrounding shaft 14 between each end of the roll and the adjacent bearing of the opposed standard 10 is a hub portion of a bracket 21, each bracket 21 having upon its huba segment gear 22 and having radiating from its'hub a pair thereon gears 29 meshing with the segmental gears 22 of the brackets so that these brackets will move in unison, and the brackets are furthermore connected by a tie bar 30. Shaft 28 projects through one of the standards 10, and at the outer face of the standard is equipped with a compound gear 31 including segmental gear sections 32 arranged in side to side relation but staggered with relation to one another so that each segment projects approximately 55 degrees beyond one end of the other segment. Meshing with these segments 32 are gears 33 and 34 surrounding shaft 14 and connected thereto by oppositely facing roller clutches 35. The gears 33 and 34 in the present showing form the outer sections of these clutches and the driving discs of these clutches are each connected to the shaft 14 by key and keyway connection 36 in which the key 37 is of less Width than the keyway so that the disc may partake of a limited rotation with relation to the shaft. The disc in each instance is recessed at 38, this recess being closed at one side of the keyway as indicated at 39 toform a seat for one end of a spring 40 the opposite end of which shifts a plunger 41 which is constantly in engagement with the key. The pressure of the plunger upon the key in each instance tends to rotate the disc upon the shaft in a direction such that the rollers 42 of the clutch will engage.

Assuming that the compound gear 31 is at one limit of its movement which is defined by the position of the arms of the bracket when. engaged in the arms, one of the roller clutches is engaged with one of the segments 32 of this gear to exercise no driving effect thereon due to the fact that the direction of rotation of shaft 14 at this time is such that the clutch mechanism 35 does not tend to lock the gear 33 or 34 to the shaft '14. If the direction of shaft 14 is now reversed, the clutch of this gear becomes effective with the result that the compound gear 31 is positively driven. With the rotation the second gear 33 or 34 is brought into engagement with its coacting segment 32 and meshes therewith, and continues in mesh therewith after the driving gear has become disengaged due to passing the end of its associated segment.

It will, of course, be obvious that since gears 33 and 34 are connected to the shaft by clutches I and there is always a certain amount of vibration in a machine of this character, these gears will tend to shift slightly while they are idling on the shaft, with the result that the teeth of the gears 33 and 34 will not always tend to align with the gears of their respective segments as they come into engagement therewith. This misalignment is corrected by the use of the spring mounting 39 and 41 of the clutch disc hereinbefore referred to and by pointing the initially engaged tooth of each segment 32 as indicated at 43. It will be notedthat if the face of a tooth of gear 33 or 34 engages solidly against the face of the initial tooth the spring 40 will yield permitting the disc of the clutch mechanism to shift until proper alignment of the teeth is obtained so that any breakage of the gears is avoided. The rotation of shaft 28 imparted thereto through the compound gear 31 is through gears 29 secured to shaft 28 imparted to the brackets '21 and is suflicient to cause movement of these brackets from a position where one of the arms of each bracket is ver-' tically arranged to a position where the other arms are vertically arranged.

At opposite sides of each standard 10 and in approximate horizontal alignment with the bearing of shaft 28 I provide pivots 45 each mounting for oscillation a gear 46-and a bracket 4'7. The brackets 47 at corresponding sides of the standards are connected by a pair of scrimp rolls 48, which rolls are arranged at opposite sides of the axis upon which the brackets oscillate and each comprise a shaft having its ends oppositely threaded with trapezoidal threads as indicated at 48. Each pair of brackets mounts the ends of a rotatable shaft 49 having a hand grip 50 by means of which it may be rotated and the opposite ends of this shaft are provided with eccentric disc cams 51. Each bracket further embodies a portion 52 overhanging the associated gear 46 through which are directed connected parallel rods 53 and 54 of which the rod 53 has an element 55 for engagement with the teeth of the gear and the rod 54 constitutes a tappet engaging the associated cam 51. A spring 56 tends to urge theunit inwardly and maintain the element 55 in engagement with the ratchet disc and the tappet in engagement with the cam and this same spring action will tend to prevent rotation of shaft 49 as a result of vibration of the machine and to maintain the tappet in engagement in the lowest portion of the cam. By manual operation, however, of shaft 49 cams 51 may be employed to raise the unit and thus permitirotative adjustment of the unit represented by the brackets 47 and their associated scrimp rolls for a purpose presently to appear. The gears 46 associated with each standard 10 mesh with a common drive pinion 46-a secured to the shaft 28. Shaft 14 is driven from a reversible motor M, at present shown as connected with the shaft through worm gearing 5'7 and a chain drive 58.

In use of the apparatus just described, a filled cloth stick S is positioned with its ends engaged in the grooves of arms 23 of brackets 21 which are horizontally disposed and a second cloth stick S having no cloth thereon has its ends placedin the grooves of the arms which are vertically disposed. The cloth is then passed from the stick S between the scrimp rolls at the corresponding side of the machine, downwardly into the vat and over the submerging roller 12, then upwardly between the scrimp rolls at the opposite side of the machine, over the face of the roll 15 and about the stick S in such manner that when the roll 15 is rotated the stick S will be rotated in a direction to wind the cloth thereon. At this time the scrimp rolls positioned at the same side of the machine as the stick S will be arranged as shown at the right hand side of Fig. 3, and will be spaced from the cloth in its passage from the stick to the submerging roll so that they exercise no effect upon the cloth, while those at the .opposite side of the machine are positioned so that the cloth in passing from the submerging roll to the driving roll 15 is tensioned thereby and the cloth held in engagement with both scrimp rolls. The upper scrimp roll is forced inwardly so that the area of contact between the roll 15 and the cloth is increased and the driving friction between the now wet cloth and the roll thus increased. As the cloth passes over the scrimp rolls the threads thereof tend to move the opposite sides of the cloth outwardly, thus removing any folds in the cloth and particularly those occurring at the selvages of the cloth. The tension exerted by the scrimp rolls may be regulated by adjustment of the units as hereinbefore described. When the cloth to be dyed has been completely passed throu h the vat the direction of rotation of shaft 14 is reversed. This results,- as hereinbefore described, in reversal of the positions of the coacting pairs of arms in the manner hereinbefore described, with the result that the roll S now receives cloth unwound from the roll S' and the positions of the scrimp mechanisms are simultaneously reversed so that tension is applied to the cloth as it moves to the stick S. It will be obvious that if drive were immediately imparted to roll 15 during reversal of the position of brackets 21 and their associated arms there would be some tendency to the formation of slack in the goods, which might result in folds or laps, causing improper dyeing through that portion of the goods. This is avoided by the loose mounting of the roll 15 in the manner hereinbefore described. This loose mounting permits a reversal to take place before the drive actually overtakes the roll and the roll during movement of the arms moves therewith idly so that there can be no slippage of the goods with relation to the roll.

Reversal of direction of rotation of shaft 14 may be accomplished either manually or automatically, the latter arrangement being preferred and being accomplished through mechanism including a switch organization 59 carried by a connecting bar 30 of the stick bracket assembly and an associated control mechanism 60 at present shown as mounted upon one of the standards 10. The organization 59 includes a pair of normally open switches 61, preferably of the push button type, each carried by an arm 62 projecting from bar 30 and each adjustable upon the associated arm as indicated at 63. The switches disposed in the path of the stick end which moves inwardly as the cloth is wound therefrom and the adjustment of the switch is such that the contact with the arm occurs when the amount of cloth upon the stick has been reduced to the end usually employed for attaching the cloth to be dyed to the stick. The organization 60 includes a cut-off switch mechanism 64, a reversal switch mechanism 65, a control switch mechanism 66 for controlling the circuits of switches 61 and an electrical mechanism 67 for effecting the operation of the switch mechanism 64, 65 and 66. The switch mechanism 64 preferably comprises a normally closed switch 68 and a disc 69 having a cam element 70 to engage and open the switch 68 in one position of the disc. Disc 69 is secured to a shaft 71 operated by the electro-mechanical mechanism 6'7 hereinbefore referred to and is preferably provided upon its face with a series. of

ordinals 72 designating numbers of operations, as hereinafter more fully set forth.

Switch mechanism 65 comprises a disc having an annular series of contacts '73 with which coact two pairs of brushes '74 and 75; the brushes 75 are, through switch 68 and a manually operated control switch 76, in communication with. a suitable source of current and engage with adjaoent contacts, while brushes 74 are connected to the terminals of the motor M and likewise engage adjacent contacts of the disc. Alternate contacts of the disc are connected in parallel with one another and it'will, thus, be obvious that if the disc is rotated by steps advancing the same through a distance equal to the space between adjacent contacts the current supply to the motor M will be reversed at each step.

The switch mechanism 66 comprises a disc 67 having an annular series of contacts one-half in number of the contacts 73, the switch mechanism at present being shown as having 8 contacts and the disc mechanism of switch 66, four. Coacting with this disc is a pair of brushes 77 each of which is connected to one terminal of one of the switches 61 of switch organization 59. Brushes'l'? are so spaced in their engagement with the disc that one of the brushes is engaged with the contact and the other one is disposed between the contacts so that current is supplied to only one of the switches 61 at a time. Since the switch organizations 65 and 66 are secured to the shaft '71 and the rotation of shaft 71 occurs in eight steps, it will be obvious that the supply to the switches 61 is alternated, one switch being supplied during the supply of current in one direction to the motor and the other switch being supplied during the supply of current in the opposite direction thereto. The remaining contacts 78- of the switches 61 are connected through a common wire 79 to one terminal of an electro-magnet 80, the second terminal of which is connected to one terminal of motor M by a wire 81.- Contacts 82 of disc 6'7 are connected in parallel to the second contact of the motor M. Electro-magnet has a spring-biased armature 83 operating through an arm 84 to effect operation of a dogging lever 85 coacting with a ratchet disc 86 having teeth equal in number to the number of contacts carried. by the disc of switch mechanism 65. Switch '76 as illustrated, is preferably of the manually closed overload underload type so that it may open in event of excessive strains applied to the mechanism and will open whenever the circuit to motor M is opened. The organization 60 is preferably disposed in va housing 87 through an opening 88 in which the ordinal series 72 of the disc 69 may be viewed, the shaft '71 projecting to the exterior of this housing and being provided with an operating knob 89 by means of which itmay be rotated.

In setting the mechanism for a given number of dyeing operations, say seven ends, the operator after placing of the cloth sticks as hereinbefore described, rotates the knob 89 until the ordinal 7 appears in the sight opening 88. The circuit to the motor is then closed by closing switch 76 starting operation of the motor. As

the cloth is wound from the stick upon the f horizontally disposed arms, this stick will approach the roll 15 and bear thereagainst and will more closely approach the roll as the cloth is wound therefrom. It likewise approaches the rod 30 and, accordingly, the associated switch 61, finally engaging thereagainst to cause the switch to close. Closing the switch 61 energizes electro-magnet 80 with the result that the mechtion is repeatedthrough the number of times originally selected, in the present example seven, at which time the cam lug 70 of disc 69 opens switch 68 thereby causing the opening of switch 66 and interrupting the operation.

The adjustment of the stops 26 which control the position of the arms when horizontally disposed is preferably made' such that these arms,

and particularly the slots thereof, are slightly lower at their cuter than at their inner ends so that an inclined ramp is provided upon which the ends of the cloth sticks operate. As the cloth is withdrawn from the horizontal stick the rolling action tilt up causes the cloth stick to climb this incline and finally come into engages ment with the roll 15. The extent of this engagement may be determined by the extent of the inclination. This positioning of the arms insures an automatic take-up of any slack which may tend to occur as a result of overrunning of the stick from which the cloth is being wound as when any slack does occur the stick will immediately roll down the incline. removing the slack.

Since the construction hereinbefore set forth is obviously capable of considerable range of change and modification without in any manner departing from the spirit of my invention I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself thereto except as hereinafter claimed.

I claim:

1. In dyeing mechanism, a drive roll, means for alternately rotating the-roll in opposite directions comprising a lost motion mechanism for temporarily disconnecting the roll from its drive at each reversal of the drive mechanism, a pair of rotatable cloth sticks, means for alternately engaging said cloth sticks with the drive roll to be driven thereby and means operated by initial operation of the first-named means at each reversal thereof for disengaging a previously engaged cloth stick from the drive roll and engaging the other of the cloth sticks therewith.

2. In dyeing mechanism, a drive roll, means for alternately rotating the roll in opposite directions comprising a'lost motion mechanism for temporarily disconnecting the roll from its drive at each reversal of the drive mechanism, a pair of rotatable cloth sticks, means for alternately engaging said cloth sticks with the drive roll to be driven thereby, means operated by initial operation of the first-named means at each reversal thereof for disengaging a previously entherewith and disengage the first-named cloth.

stick, means for reversing the drive roll and means operated by reversal of the drive roll for operating said stick-shifting means.

4. In dyeing mechanism and in combination, a reversible drive roll, a pair of cloth sticks, means for maintaining one of the cloth sticks in engagement with the drive roll shiftable to bring the other of the cloth sticks in engagement therewith and disengage the first-named cloth stick, means for reversing the drive roll, means operated by reversal of the drive roll for operating saidstick-shifting means, a tensioning scrimp roll associated with each cloth stick, said scrimp rolls having operative and inoperative positions, and means for moving each scrimp roll to its operative position as the associated cloth stick is moved into engagement with the drive roll.

5. In dyeing mechanism, a pair of cloth sticks, one mounting a roll of cloth. to be dyed and the other adapted toreceive the cloth after the dyeing operation, means for rotating the lastnamed roll, an inclined mounting for the firstnamed roll up which the said first-named roll tends to climb as a result of rotation thereof induced by removal of cloth therefrom in response to rotation of the last-named roll, said rotating means limiting movement of the, firstnamed roll in said direction to an extent controlled by the amount of cloth remaining on the roll and .means controlled by the position of the first-named roll for operatively disconnecting the rotating means from the last-named roll and connecting it to the first-named roll controlled by the position of the first-named roll.

6. In a dyeing mechanism, a pair of cloth 1.10

sticks, one mounting a roll of cloth to be dyed and the other adapted to receive the cloth after the dyeing operation, means for rotating the last-named roll, an inclined mounting for the first-named roll up which the said first-named roll tends to climb as a result of rotation thereof induced by removal of cloth therefrom in response to rotation ofthe last-named roll, said rotating means limiting movement of the firstnamed roll in said direction to an extent conand connecting itto the first-named roll controlled by the position of the first-named roll, and means foradjustably regulating the inclination of said mounting.

'7. In a dyeing machine, a drive roll, a drive shaft for the drive roll, an oscillatory structure associated with the roll and comprising two pairs of arms each pair of arms being aligned and including guide means for a rotatable cloth stick, said structure being movable from a position in which the guide means of one pair of 35 arms direct the cloth stick in gravitational engagement with the drive roll and the second pair of arms inclines outwardly and downwardly from the roll to a position in which the positions of said pairs of arms are reversed, means for reversing the drive roll shaft, and means operated by reversal of the drive roll shaft for moving said structure from one to the other of said positions, and means disconnectingthe drive roll from its drive shaft during movement of the structure.

8. In dyeing mechanism, a drive roll, a shaft upon which the roll is mounted, a pair of gears carried by said shaft, oppositely operative oneway clutches connecting the shaft and said a pair of circumferentially ofiset similar seg-' ments carried by the second shaft and meshing with said gears, and oscillatory scrimp roll mechanism associated with said roll and operatively connected to said second shaft to be driven thereby.

10. In dyeing mechanism, a drive roll, a shaft upon which the roll is mounted, a pair of gears carried by said shaft, oppositely operative oneway clutches connecting the shaft and said gears, a second shaft paralleling the first-named shaft, a pair of circumferentially offset similar segments carried by the second shaft and meshing with said gears, oscillatory cloth stick mechanism associated with said roll, an operative connection between the second shaft and said cloth stick mechanism, and oscillatory scrimp roll mechanism likewise associated with said roll and operatively connected with said second shaft to be operated thereby.

11. In dyeing mechanism, a drive roll, a shaft upon which the roll is mounted, a pair of gears carried by said shaft, oppositely operative oneway clutches connecting the shaft and said gears, a second shaft paralleling the first-named shaft,

a pair of circumferentially offset similar seg-' ments carried by'the second shaft and meshing with said gears, oscillatory cloth stick mechanism associated with said roll, an operative connection between the second shaft and said clothstick mechanism, the shaft-engaged elements of said clutches having limited rotational movement upon the shaft and means yieldably positioning the shaft-engaged elements of said clutches at one limit of the rotational movement thereof, said yielding means yielding to permit movement of the shaft with relation to the shaft-engaged elements in a direction opposed to that in which said elements become effective as clutching elements to thereby avoid binding of said gears upon the initial teeth of the segments with which they coact.

HARRY W. BUTTERWORTH, JR. 

